Life in transition with Ray but without Rochelle, Rebecca, and Elcie. The blog title is taken from the girls' names but "roc" and "rebel" works for me too.

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Monday, December 12, 2005

1968 and other stuff

Andrea - Granny doesn't rule; it's Mother Damnable who first mentioned text size and Laura (a friend of a friend) plus other people all brainstorming the problem who provided the solution. All I did was explain what I missed in Laura's clear instructions in case there were other novices out there who forgot they owned a tool bar. I'm glad it worked for you as well.

Worried American has a blog called "Is America Burning" and I contribute occasionally as well. We spend most of the time talking to each other but at least we're talking. Just a couple of grannies trying to make a difference.

The girls' mom came in over the weekend to ask me if I had heard that Richard Pryor died. I said "yes, he had been ill for some time and Eugene McCarthy died as well". She said "who?" 1968 was some year.

I had moved to Memphis with the boys' dad in the fall of '67. There must have been something in the Memphis water because, after trying for a couple of years, I became pregnant the first month we were there. I was there in April 1968 a mile or two from where Dr. King was assassinated and was in the Methodist Hospital giving birth to my older son, Jim, when Bobby Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles. I woke up to that news and my roommate and I cried together. From rejoicing over our healthy new babies to sorrow and anger.

I wasn't part of the "clean for Gene" movement. I was a little older than those kids and preoccupied with pregnancy, new inlaws, and trying to fit in with a way of life very different from San Francisco. I know I favored him and I opposed the Viet Nam war but it's so long ago I can't even remember if Tennessee had a primary or if I voted. I know I voted in the Presidential election on the losing side - not for the last time.

The Senator from Minnesota's main contribution, if I remember correctly, was to make an impressive showing in the New Hampshire primary which led President Johnson to refuse a second full term. The McCarthy movement didn't last long after that but the war protests continued. After Bobby K. died, the country shifted toward Hubert Humphrey (also from Minnesota) who of course lost to Richard Nixon. Everybody knows the rest of the story.

McCarthy was an interesting man, full of contradictions. I hadn't thought about him for some time and the announcement of his death at 89 didn't cause much of a ripple. I'm sure Tasha isn't the only person who didn't recognize the name. RIP Gene.

Busy week ahead. I may be forced to go vehicle shoppping. The more I think about trying to fix all the little things wrong with my 14 year old Dodge Caravan, the more sense it makes to hunt something just a little newer. Still a minivan; it's too hard to manage the wheelchair otherwise and much of the time I need all seven seats. I hate to take on a car payment but I hate even more to pour sand down a rat hole.

I still have a few gifts to purchase but the girls may have to settle primarily for a vehicle and possibly a computer. I have a chance to buy one about 3 years old from a friend who's moving back east. I'll be storing it for him which will give us a chance to check it out. It won't have all the bells and whistles of this one. I can't remember which Windows it uses. I'm pretty sure it's not an XP but for the kids it should do fine. We can share the scanner and printer. If it doesn't work out, I'll ship it. They don't know about it yet but my friend leaves on Wednesday and his computer is supposed to come here then. I'm picking him up from the next town over, feeding him dinner, and then taking him to Greyhound.

Tomorrow PFLAG and National Call In Day (Iraq), Wednesday noon deliver petitions to our Representative's office (also Iraq), Thursday "winter" program at John Muir, and Friday the peace vigil. The kids' program is the priority; for the rest I'll do what I can. It's all stuff I enjoy doing but I'm certainly not essential to each and every cause. I'll be missing a Thursday meeting for the kids' program.

Elcie's mom straightened Elcie's hair today. I'll try to get a picture up soon. She's been pleading. I love her hair like it is but it's her head and she's old enough to make some choices. The last time she tried it, it wouldn't hold but maybe this time's the charm.

It's almost 1:30 and I should dispossess the cat one more time and call it a night.

I really must go and clean my kitchen, but I wanted to share this recipe for Lavender Pavlova, Doesn't it sound divine?

"You make the pavlova in the normal way but replace half of the sugar with lavender sugar.

This is really easy to make.

When Lavender first blooms take 2 handfuls and grind in a large pestle and mortar - or you can use a food processor - with 8oz caster sugar.

I usually make lavender meringues but had the idea for lavender pavlova recently as I had a jar of preserved oranges and some honeycomb cream. I also colour mine with an organic violet food colouring. I really wanted to see how it would look with a lilac meringue base - and pretty darned good it did look.